Carpenter family to close Car-lyn's Footwear
Business has been a fixture at the Westborough Shopping Center for 27 years
By David Bagdon Publisher

The Carpenter family at Carlyn's Footwear includes (l to r) Bruce, Marilyn and Ted PHOTO/DAVID BAGDON

Westborough - For nearly three decades, Car-lyn's Footwear has been a fixture at the Westborough Shopping Center, but after 27 successful years Ted Carpenter and his wife, Marilyn, have decided to close the store and retire.

Ted has spent some 50 years in the field of retail and, although he will miss the business, he said that now is the time to move on.

"My wife and I have reached an age where its time to slow down," Ted said. "We would just like an opportunity to spend some quality time together."

A career in retail

After graduating from college with a degree in business, Carpenter was hired by J.C. Penny. During his 22 years with the company, he worked his way through every facet of the store, eventually becoming a store manager.

Although he had gained much experience working for the retail giant, he still felt the entrepreneurial urge to open his own business. In 1980, well-known shoe manufacturer Thom McCann decided to start off ering opportunities to set up retail stores and Carpenter jumped at the chance. Although the power of the brand got his business off to a strong start, the relationship was to be short-lived as Thom McCann discontinued the program 1983.

At that time, Ted realized there was a need in Westborough for a full-service family shoe store. Before long, Car-lyn's was known as the area's one-stop shoe store for everything from baby shoes to corrective footwear.

Where life and

career meet

When starting out in business, entrepreneurs often have difficulty focusing on anything beyond day-to-day operations. But as the years pass, the business slowly becomes intertwined with the owners' daily world. Be they customers, suppliers or co-workers, these are the people and relationships that make up one's life.

When Ted opened Carlyn's back in 1980, he had no idea that he and Marilyn would be starting a journey that would last 27 years. And now as they prepare to retire, it's the relationships they will miss most of all.

"We owe great gratitude to our many wonderful customers. It's been a privilege to watch their families grow and change," Ted said. "In fact, one time I remember helping a bride-to-be select shoes for her wedding when she turned to me and said, 'You know, this is the store my parents brought me to for my first pair of baby shoes.'"

He remembered the interchange fondly.

"I made a quick joke about feeling old, but in reality, it was very touching," he said.

In preparation for the store's closure and to thank the store's many loyal clients, Car-lyn's is currently holding an inventory liquidation sale, during which all shoes will be deeply discounted.